Page 12 of Moved
I looked back over my shoulder and tried to keep my disappointment from my face. His expression gave nothing away, but he watched me closely. I nodded and closed the door.
How fast could I walk around the house without him? Looking up at the house, I walked quickly. Nothing to use on the front. Hurrying, I walked to the back. Nothing on the side or back. I made it to the front door just as he opened it. He didn’t seem surprised to see me.
“Do you know anyone selling a car? Something reasonably priced that won’t leave me stranded?”
He motioned for me to walk toward the back of the house. He walked beside me. “Need to go somewhere?”
“Not really. I just want to beableto go somewhere.” A gust of wind ruffled my hair, and I tried not to shiver. I should have brought a jacket but I hadn’t meant to be outside for very long. I glanced over at Racer. He’d been smart enough to throw one on. He met my gaze, and I gave a small, innocent smile.
“Bored?”
“Beyond reason.” He brought us to the trees at the edge of the yard. I could see a faint trail. “What’s this for?”
“Walking. Mostly when I’m bored beyond reason.”
So he did more than just talk to cats. I looked at him again. This time he quirked a small smile at me. It was the first time I’d seen it, and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly averted my gaze before I ruined the moment by blushing. The narrow trail only allowed single file so he led.
“Who made the trail?”
“Deer mostly.”
Now that he was in front of me, I let myself shiver as I looked up at the tree canopy. I liked the sound the leaves made in the wind. If the wind blew hard enough, the rustling almost sounded like water. Racer stopped and shrugged off his jacket. Without a word, he handed it to me.
“I don’t need it,” I protested.
“You’re shivering. Take it and we can keep walking. Keep shivering and we go back.”
Reaching out, I took the jacket. He’d known I was shivering...
“Thanks,” I mumbled looking away as I put it on. It was still warm. His scent wrapped around me.
“Pancakes and pine trees,” I said aloud and then wanted to groan.
He turned and watched me closely. “Is that a good smell?”
“I wouldn’t have thought it a good combination, but it works. Makes me wish for pancakes and a walk in the woods.” I shrugged and looked around. “The walk I have. Got any pancakes on you?”
He smiled slightly again and turned to lead the way. We walked in silence for several minutes.
“Tell me about this guy who won’t leave you alone.”
“There’s not much to tell. We had a class together, and he asked me out. We went on a date. He acted pretty normal, just a little clingy and possessive. At the end of the date, he said that he hoped he could see me again. I evaded giving him an answer by saying I had a nice time and that I would see him in class. He left and didn’t seem upset by my non-answer. The next day, he seemed fine again. We talked. It was normal. Life moved on.
“Then I started to notice him popping up in the same places I was. He tried calling me, but I never answered. When I went home, he followed me. My dad spotted him parked across the street. When I saw who it was, I had to give Dad the full story.” I didn’t know how well Racer knew my dad so I erred on the side of caution and skirted around why he hadn’t called the police. “Being over the top protective, Dad decided I needed to go into ‘seclusion’. Personally, I think he invented the first ever daughter relocation program to avoid boy drama.”
“And you went along with that? Most teens would have just left.”
“I’m not most teens.”
When I looked up, I could see the house again through the trees. We’d walked a loop. I followed him out of the woods and slipped his jacket off.
“Thanks,” I said again.
“No problem.”
He took the jacket and stayed there as I walked toward the front of the house. It wasn’t until I was back up in my apartment that I recalled he never answered my question about a car.
Chapter 4
